BLBG: Korean Won, Singapore Dollar, Thai Baht: Asia Currency Preview
By Bob Chen
Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- The following events and economic reports may influence trading in Asian currencies today. Exchange rates are from the previous session.
Japanese yen: The Bank of Japan will cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.25 percent from 0.5 percent at its monetary policy meeting today, economists forecast in a Bloomberg survey.
Japan's consumer prices climbed 2.1 percent in September from a year earlier, according to a Bloomberg News survey of economists before the statistics bureau reports the data at 8:30 a.m. in Tokyo. That would be the same as the previous month, when it cooled from a record high of 2.3 percent in July.
The yen was at 98.74 per dollar at 8:08 a.m. in Tokyo.
South Korean won: Factory output for September rose 4.7 percent from a year earlier, economists forecast in a Bloomberg survey before the statistics office reports the data at 1:30 p.m. in Gwacheon. Industrial production increased 1.9 percent annually in August, the weakest pace in 11 months.
The won was at 1,250.
Singapore dollar: The Ministry of Manpower will report the seasonally adjusted third quarter unemployment rate today. The jobless rate rose to 2.6 percent from 2.3 percent the previous quarter, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. That would be the highest since the three months ended March 2007.
The Singapore dollar was at S$1.4744.
Thai baht: The Bank of Thailand will report figures for exports, imports and the total trade and current-account balances for September at 2:30 p.m. in Bangkok. The trade balance showed a deficit of $675 million in August, from $762 million the previous month.
The baht was at 34.86.
-- Editors: Nicholas Reynolds
To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Chen in Hong Kong at bchen45@bloomberg.net.